Africa

Sudan to allow return of Darfur aid

US senator on visit says Khartoum has agreed to let some aid return to war-torn region.

17 Apr 2009 07:45 GMT

Kerry, left, is expected to visit Darfur on his three-day visit to Sudan [EPA]

Al-Bashir had expelled 13 international aid groups and three local ones after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Kerry, who is also the senate's foreign relations chairman, said the US wanted to strengthen ties with Sudan.

His trip, which is expected to include a visit to Darfur, comes a week after a visit by Gration, the US envoy to Sudan.

Washington's overtures are seen as a softening of its stance on al-Bashir, particularly after Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said shortly after the expulsion of aid groups that al-Bashir would be held responsible for "every single death" in the places where the agencies had operated from.

Relations between the US and Khartoum had been strained for many years, particularly after the US imposed sanctions in 1997 for harbouring Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda.

It also bombed a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan a year later, saying the site was used to make chemical weapons.

The UN says that the war in Darfur that began in 2003 has killed about 300,000 people. Khartoum disputes the figure and says only 10,000 people have died in the conflict.

The unrest was triggered by a rebellion started by Darfuris who accuse the government of marginalising them.

Source:Agencies

Related

Senator to visit Darfur but will not meet Sudanese indicted leader Omar al-Bashir.

Content on this website is for general information purposes only. Your comments
are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct
or indirect liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and
global license for no consideration to use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in
accordance with Community Rules & Guidelines and Terms and Conditions.